Culture & Entertainment

MNA Culture & Entertainment Desk: Bollywood actress Swara Bhasker is one of those women who never shy away from talking their minds. The actress recalled her #MeToo experience when she revealed how a director harassed her at a workplace. Swara was present at a panel discussion on the life of Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein at &PriveHD’s Prive Soiree where actors Dia Mirza and Anand Patwardhan were also part of the discussion. The ‘Veere Di Wedding’ actor is known for her outspoken nature and taking a stand against society’s stereotypes like discrimination, gender pay gap, racism, and #MeToo. She revealed that ...

MNA Culture & Entertainment Desk: Bollywood actress and famed director Mahesh Bhatt’s daughter Alia Bhatt, an investor in a fashion-tech startup, says style is important. Alia has announced the launch of ‘The StyleCracker Box Club’, which makes the concept of personal styling accessible to all via a membership programme. Through this, a personalized box of fashion, curated every 6 weeks by a celebrity stylist, will reach customers. Every box will include around four products per box, depending on the mix selected including apparel, bag, footwear and accessories. Alia Bhatt said in a statement: “I think that’s really cool because basically ...

MNA Culture & Entertainment Desk: Vogue magazine has apologized for misidentifying Muslim American journalist Noor Tagouri as a Pakistani actress in its February issue. The 24-year-old said she was “heartbroken and devastated” after discovering that Noor Bukhari’s name had been printed next to her picture. Tagouri said “misrepresentation and misidentification” was a constant problem for Muslims in the US. She has received widespread support on social media for speaking out. On Instagram, the journalist and activist shared a video captured by her husband of the moment she opened the issue for the first time. Initially, there is excitement. “That’s so ...

MNA Career & Education Desk: The University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB) has recently organised a photo exhibition in association with Nepalese photographer Ms Renuka Khatiwada at its Campus A in Dhanmondi area in the capital. The photographer’s project primarily took a close look at Dhaka and Kathmandu to compare the two cities as part of the Comparative South Asian Urban Studies project. Professor Dr H M Jahirul Haque, Vice Chancellor, ULAB inaugurated the exhibition on Tuesday, according to a press statement. Professor Imran Rahman, Special Advisor to the ULAB Board of Trustees, Professor Shamsad Mortuza, Pro Vice Chancellor, ULAB, ...

MNA Culture & Entertainment Desk: Australian actress Margot Robbie is to play Barbie in the first live-action feature movie about the iconic and controversial doll, who has enjoyed multiple careers in her 60-year lifetime. Toymaker Mattel and movie studio Warner Bros on Tuesday announced they were partnering to make the film, which will star the Oscar-nominated actress. Robbie, 28, will also co-produce the film, the companies said in a statement No plot, title or release date was announced for the film, which comes 60 years after the adult-figured Barbie fashion doll was launched in March 1959. Robbie, who was Oscar-nominated ...

MNA Culture & Entertainment Desk: Renowned Bollywood filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani has been accused of sexual assault by a woman who worked as an assistant in his last film, reports Huffington Post India. The woman, who chose to remain anonymous, claims that she was sexually abused by the director on multiple occasions over a six-month period between March and September 2018. Hirani, best known for films like the Munna Bhai series, 3 Idiots and PK, has categorically denied the allegations through his lawyer. “I was completely shocked when these allegations were brought to my notice about two months ago. I had ...

MNA Culture & Entertainment Desk: ‘Komola Rocket’ (The Orange Ship), Noor Imran Mithu’s directorial debut film based on the Bangla Academy Award winning writer Shahaduzzaman’s stories ‘Moulik’ and ‘Saipras’, is now available on Netflix for the audiences around the world. Apparently, this is the third film from Bangladesh which saw its release on Netfilx. Now, the viewers can enjoy the film any time on Netflix for the next five years. Produced by Impress Telefilm, the lead roles of ‘Komola Rocket’ are played by Tauquir Ahmed and Lux-Channel i Super Star contestant Samiya, while Mosharraf Karim is seen as an agent. ...

MNA Culture & Entertainment Desk: One of the most anticipated bollywood film ‘The Accidental Prime Minister’ creates huge controversy in pre-election India. A film that casts opposition leader Rahul Gandhi and his family in an unflattering light ahead of a national election later this year has kicked up a controversy ahead of its release on Friday. Commentators on social media and television news programmes have taken swipes at the makers of ‘The Accidental Prime Minister’ for pursuing a political agenda, while a spokesman for the Gandhi’s Congress Party has derided it as “propaganda”. Based on a 2014 book of the ...

MNA Culture & Entertainment Desk: The winners of the 76th annual Golden Globe Awards have been announced! And we already know that! While the American comedy-drama Green Book topped the award night with three wins, the Freddie Mercury biopic ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ and Alfonso Cuaron’s Roma tied with two awards each. In TV, The Kominsky Method bagged two awards, including Best Television Series, in a Musical or Comedy. Lets know the names of all the winners to keep an eye on their good works in 2019 also: -Best Motion Picture (Drama): Bohemian Rhapsody -Best Actor in a Motion Picture (Drama): Rami ...

MNA Culture & Entertainment Desk: International singing superstar Britney Spears announced on Friday that she is placing her career on hold indefinitely to take care of her sick father. “I will not be performing my new show Domination,” she wrote in an emotional post on Twitter which featured a picture of herself as a young child alongside her parents. Britney was facing lots of ups and downs in her career and the upcoming performances were considered to be very important for her. The sensation of the 1990s and 2000s was due to kick off a series of concerts at the ...

MNA Entertainment Desk: The 17th Dhaka International Film Festival (DIFF)-2019 will kick off on January 10 with the theme ‘Better Film, Better Audience and Better Society’. The inaugural session will be held at the main auditorium of Bangladesh National Museum, Shahbagh in the city. The Rainbow Film Society will organise the festival where more than 200 international and Bangladeshi films will be screened under the categories of Asian Competition, Retrospective, Bangladesh Panorama, Cinema of the World, Children’s Films, Spiritual Films, Women Filmmakers, and Short and Independent Films. As part of the festival, many filmmakers, actors and personalities from more than ...

MNA Entertainment Desk: Celebrity parents Kim Kardashian and Kanye “Ye” West are reportedly expecting their fourth child via surrogate, multiple sources have told Us Weekly. A source told the outlet that a baby boy is due to arrive “in very early May,” reports news agency. This will be West and Kardashian’s second child born through a surrogate. Their youngest daughter Chicago West was born via surrogate on January 15, 2018. The couple has two other children: North and Saint West. After the births of North and Saint, Kardashian was recommended by doctors to not have children through natural pregnancy. Kim ...

MNA Entertainment Desk: Pop singer Miley Cyrus has confirmed her marriage to teen sweetheart, actor Liam Hemsworth, posting photos taken at their quiet family wedding on social media. With the caption “10 years later” and the date “12.23.18,” the “Wrecking Ball” singer posted a trio of photos on Instagram and Twitter late on Wednesday of her in an off the shoulder white dress, hugging and kissing Hemsworth. Hemsworth, 28, posted one of the photos on his Twitter account, writing “My Love” and a heart emoji. Cyrus, the 26-year-old former Disney Channel star of comedy “Hannah Montana,” met Australian actor Hemsworth ...

MNA Entertainment Desk: Veteran Bollywood actor-director-writer-comedian and a Quran scholar, Kader Khan died after a prolonged illness at a hospital in Toronto in Canada today. Kader, 81, is survived by his wife Hajra, son Sarfaraz, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren. According to Ahmed Khan, a close relative, he passed away around 4 am. He said the last rites will be held in a Toronto cemetery later in the day. Born in Kabul, Khan made his acting debut in 1973 with Rajesh Khanna’s Daag and has featured in over 300 films. Also, he has written dialogues for over 250 movies. Before becoming an ...

MNA Culture & Entertainment Desk: Padmabhushan awardee, Mrinal Sen has died in Kolkata. He was 95. He breathed his last at his home in Bhawanipur, Kolkata on Sunday. His body will not be cremated until Sen’s son, Kunal Sen who lives in Chicago, arrives in Kolkata. Mrinal Sen told his family that after his death people should not place flowers and wreaths on his body and it should not be kept in a public place for people to pay their respects. Eminent actors such as Saumitra Chatterjee, Dhritiman Chatterjee and Aparna Sen, director Buddhadeb Dasgupta and Anjana Dutta, all of ...

MNA Entertainment Desk: BTV has postponed its long-running tradition of broadcasting the campaigning speeches of different political parties ahead of the national election, reported news agency. All forms of campaigning are barred in the 48 hours before the Dec 30 polls. According to the instructions provided by the Election Commission or EC, Thursday is the last day of the election campaign. Before Nov 29 election in 2008, the speeches of Awami League Chief Sheikh Hasina and BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia were broadcasted on BTV on the last night of the election campaign on Nov 27.

MNA Entertainment Desk: New Warner Bros. release “Aquaman” made the biggest waves in North American theaters over the weekend with $67.4 million in ticket sales, industry tracker Exhibitor Relations estimated Sunday. That put it well ahead of two other new holiday-timed releases, as Disney’s “Mary Poppins Returns” took in $22.2 million for the three-day weekend, flying slightly higher than Paramount’s “Bumblebee” at $21 million. Together, the three helped boost the year’s domestic box-office revenue toward a record $11.8 billion, Hollywood Reporter said. “Aquaman” stars Jason Momoa in a title role infused with new swagger by director James Wan, with Variety ...

MNA Entertainment Desk: People from all walks of life including artists, filmmakers and crews flocked to Central Shaheed Minar and Bangladesh Film Development Corporation (BFDC) on Saturday to pay last respects to celebrated filmmaker Amjad Hossain. The ‘Golapi Ekhon Train-e’ famed director breathed his last at Bumrungrad International Hospital in Bangkok on the evening of Dec 14. His body was flown to Dhaka on Friday (Dec 21) evening. The body was taken to Shaheed Minar premise, around 11:30am Saturday. The body was then moved to the premise of ATN Bangla in Karwan Bazar and later to the BFDC around 1pm. ...

MNA Entertainment Desk: Jonmo Vumi, the first full-length feature film on Rohingya people taking shelter in Bangladesh have been released, reported news agency. Directed by Proshoon Rahman the film explores the fate of pregnant Rohingya women in the refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar. The film was released at only one cineplex in the country-Star Cineplex on December 14. In the film a young Rohingya lady takes refuge with others in the camps in Cox’s Bazar to escape Myanmar Army’s recent persecutions. She happens to be one of sixty-five thousand ladies who are expecting child. But this lady is not ready ...

MNA Entertainment Desk: Filmmaker Saidul Anam Tutul breathed his last in a city hospital on Tuesday. The 68-year-old, who had long been suffering from heart related complications, died at Labaid Hospital’s Coronary Care Unit, reported news agency. Tutul, a freedom fighter, is survived by his wife and two daughters. He won the national film award in the ‘best editor’ category for ‘Surja Dighal Bari’ in 1979. He also edited films such as ‘Ghuddi’, ‘Dahan’, ‘Dipu Number 2’, and ‘Dukhai’ and directed ‘Adhier’ in 2003. Born and brought up in Dhaka, Tutul was also the first general secretary and lifetime member ...

MNA Entertainment Desk: Catriona Gray from the Philippines was crowned Miss Universe on Monday, the fourth time the Southeast Asian country has won the international beauty pageant. Gray, a 24-year-old Filipino-Australian model, won the title in the Thai capital Bangkok where the pageant included for the first time a transgender contestant. “My heart is filled with so much gratitude. There were moments of doubt where I felt overwhelmed and I felt the pressure,” said Gray, who wore a red and orange dress that was inspired by Mount Mayon, a volcano that erupted this year. Gray was asked during the contest ...

MNA Entertainment Desk: Spanish prosecutors filed charges against Colombian singer Shakira on Friday, accusing her of failing to pay 14.5 million euros in tax ($16.3 million) in the country where her Spanish footballer partner plays. The charges were filed in the Catalonia region, where the singer is a regular presence at matches of her partner Gerard Pique’s team, Barcelona. She was accused of failing to pay tax on income earned from 2012-2014, when the prosecutors say she lived there. Representatives of Shakira said in a statement that the singer did not live in Spain until 2015, and has met all ...

MNA Entertainment Desk: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday expressed profound shock at the death of Ekushey Padak and National Film Award winning actor-filmmaker Amjad Hossain. In a condolence message, she said the death of Amjad Hossain is an irreparable loss for the film industry and cultural arena of the country. Amjad Hossain will be remembered for ever due to his works, she said. Amjad Hossain passed away on Friday in Bangkok while undergoing treatment at Bumrungrad Hospital since November 27. He was 76. Amjad was born on August 14, 1942 in Jamalpur. In 1961, he debuted as an actor ...

MNA Entertainment Desk: Actor Arjun Rampal will headline upcoming Zee5 web series “The Final Call,” the video-on-demand service owned by Zee Entertainment Enterprises announced in a press release on Wednesday. The series is an adaptation of Priya Kumar’s novel “I Will Go With You: The Flight of a Lifetime.” The 2016 novel examines a group of flight passengers whose captain has decided to commit suicide on duty, endangering all 300 on board. Details of the director and the rest of the cast are yet to be announced. The originality of the story fascinated the them; Zee5’s programming head Aparna Acharekar ...

MNA Entertainment Desk: Radio Shadhin 92.4FM concluded their 16-day long campaign, titled “Rise up for Women Conference 2018,” on a grand scale yesterday (Monday) at Hotel Galesia and Resort Limited in Banani, featuring an open discussion between the members of the audience and the famous screen pair Aly and Sara Zaker. The event, which lasted from 10am to 5pm, consisted of a day-long session of a painting competition for children, speeches by women entrepreneurs, musical performances, and ended with an open discussion, between the participants and the organizers, and a prize giving ceremony. The open discussion was moderated by a ...

MNA Entertainment Desk: To celebrate the 70th founding anniversary of Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Dhaka a mega art exhibition has been arranged. December 29 marks the birth anniversary of Shilpacharya Zainul Abedin, founder of the Dacca Art College (at present the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Dhaka). In this regard the exhibition is also part of Zainul Utshob 2018. The exhibition features artworks from veterans of the faculty, who were or still are faculty members at the art hub. It was inaugurated on December 10 on the fine arts premises at Shahbagh in the capital. On the ...